Student inquiry

Students drive learning

An inquiry based approach is driven by students' curiosity about the world around them. It encourages connection, co-operation, and collaboration by allowing students to pose and solve problems together and with their communities in shared, authentic learning experiences. 

The meaning of "knowing" has shifted from being able to remember and repeat information to being able to find and use it.

National Research Council, 2007

A teacher's role and approach to inquiry learning

Kath Murdoch shares her thoughts on the strategies used by teachers in inquiry-based classrooms. Questioning and scaffolding learning is key in an inquiry approach. She emphasises the importance of teachers knowing where they want to take students within the curriculum but bringing the students interests into the inquiry.

Hillcrest School teacher, Miel MacLean and students share how learning experiences, in a student-led inquiry into Māori kites, were enriched through using technologies and publishing via a collaborative wiki.

Key resource

LEARNZ
LEARNZ virtual field trips are free, supported inquiry based e-learning experiences that take students and teachers to places throughout New Zealand and beyond, where they link with experts to investigate and explore their world.

These snapshots of learning outline how technologies are used to support student inquiry. 

School stories demonstrate teachers using technologies to provide personalised, authentic learning experiences relating to student inquiry.

Filter by: Primary Secondary

Impact project

Miranda Makin, DP Albany Senior High School, describes how technologies have enabled students engaged in the Impact Project to take their learning beyond the school and engage with experts to find information and share their learning.

Passion projects

At St Hilda's Collegiate, every Year 9 student is mentored with someone from the local community and they work throughout the year on their Passion project

The Portal Unity Project

Year 13 student Daniel Cowpertwait describes a "mod" he has developed for an online game Portal.

Kids Rewired – a student conference

Teacher Shelley Blakey and e-learning facilitator Sandy Bornholdt describe the inquiry process they went through with the students to develop this successful conference run by students for students.

Using digital stories to improve student literacy

School teacher Natasha Jacobs and students from her Year 5/6 class explain how they create a storywheel that is then digitised and supported with audio narration. 

Student led inquiry supported by e-learning tools

A student-led inquiry into Māori kites at Hillcrest School.

Beginning to use ICTs to enhance learning

Teacher Liz Dench and a student, from Hillcrest High School, discuss accessing how using technologies expands learning.

Students inquire into innovative learning environments

Team leader, Caroline Marris and year 7-8 students explain how they worked together to design their innovative learning environment.

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Key resource

Inquiry based learning
In this EDtalk Jan-Marie Kellow talks about how inquiry based learning provides an excellent context for developing students’ thinking skills. 

What is Inquiry?
Information, research results, and resources about inquiry learning compiled by Jan-Marie Kellow during her time as a Ministry of Education e-learning fellow and updated from her ongoing work.

Online discussion

Inquiry learning
An group for those using inquiry learning to share and discuss issues, successes, ideas, resources, and strategies.